Saturday, 29 May 2010

I'm old enough to remember when 'pop' used to come in a small glass bottle. It wasn't that long ago, but since then, even the most recent soft drinks that were packaged in glass, have moved over to plastic and something got lost along the way.Breckland Orchard like to use glass to hold their refreshing soft drinks – there's something nicely nostalgic about that. They're even closed with a metal crown cap, so you do need a bottle opener, but that makes them all the more special.

Using Norfolk spring water and real fruit juices, Breckland have managed to capture the essence of long lost summers into every drink. Lightly sparkling they're able to quench the most raging of thirsts as the weather heats up. Shunning large scale factory production, Breckland prefer to make theirs in small batches so a special amount of care goes into every bottle.

When I met Claire Martinsen at the Letchworth Food Festival it was a particularly hot day and her drinks were selling like hot cakes (or should that be cold lemonade?)

I initially bought a box of four; Blackcurrant and Raspberry, Cranberry and Rosehip, Cloudy Lemonade and Ginger Beer with Chilli.
The Ginger Beer turned out to be mine and my husband's favourite. It has an exciting spicy zestiness with a little tingling after kick from the chilli. Not enough to set your head on fire, thankfully, but it gives a lingering extra bite.
The Cranberry and Rosehip is delightfully scented and has a pleasant dry character from the cranberries that's enlivening to the taste buds.
The Blackcurrant and Raspberry, well you can forget about a certain market leading blackcurrant drink, as this knocks the spots off it.
The Cloudy Lemonade? Well what can I say but this is how lemonade should be. It's bright on the palate and actually tastes of lemons.

Returning on the second day of the food festival, we stocked up on more of the Ginger Beer –– it really is that good.

A Little Bit About Me

I've been an avid collector of recipes over the years – mostly from books and magazines, but also from family and friends too.
I make no claims to being a perfect chef, but the people who eat what I cook, invariably, leave the table happy and satisfied.
Whilst I haven't yet extensively travelled the world, a comfy sofa, the internet and piles of books full of beautiful photographs, have served me well in gaining some knowledge and experience of other countries and their cuisine.

Desserts & Puddings

Miscellaneous

How To

Tasty Tips

MAKE WASHING-UP EASIER: After you've chopped meat or fish or used eggs or flour in your food processor, rinse out with cold water first, before immersing in hot. This stops the remnants from cooking on, making cleaning easier.

GET THE MOST FROM CITRUS ZEST: Grate the zest directly into the bowl, in which you are mixing your ingredients, as this will catch all the oils that burst from the skin, giving maximum flavour.

USE CLING FILM TO ROLL OUT PASTRY: Put one piece on your work surface, dust with flour, place dough on top and dust with flour again. Put another piece of cling film over it and roll away. Stops it from sticking and makes everything so much easier to clear up afterwards.

INVEST IN A SET OF MEASURING SPOONS: A teaspoon is only a teaspoon by name – with correctly sized spoons specifically for the purpose, you'll never get it wrong again.